The Greatest Manager of All time

The moment Fleet Taylor said those words, Lynn and everyone else present froze, their expressions visibly blank.

"Huh?"

Lynn instinctively looked toward Erin, only to see the corners of her lips curve faintly upward as she stared at him with playful amusement in her eyes.

Fleet Taylor leisurely observed Lynn's reaction, while Will Taylor's expression finally changed. He frowned, completely unable to understand what the family head was playing at.

Lynn coughed twice, then said without changing expression, "I did pursue Erin before, but she rejected me."

The implication was not that he was absolutely determined to marry Erin. At the very least, there should be a proper process of officially becoming a couple first, right?

But the possibility of that process had already been denied by Erin herself.

Fleet Taylor turned to Erin, who sat beside him, and asked, "Why?"

Erin smiled. "Because he isn't handsome enough, isn't tall enough, isn't strong enough, and can't fight. If someone bullied me outside, what could he possibly do for me?"

"Hahahaha! That excuse wouldn't fool a ghost. Forget it, I won't interfere in young people's business." Fleet Taylor looked back at Lynn. "Lynn, you once helped the Taylor family selflessly. I remember that, and I'll make sure every member of the Taylor family remembers it too. I didn't call you here today with any crooked intentions. I just want you to serve as an example for the younger generation of my family. Will."

Fleet Taylor called out softly, and Will Taylor stepped forward to his side.

Without even turning his head, Fleet Taylor said, "Will, look carefully at this young man. His name is Lynn. He is your example. If one day you can reach his level, I'll hand the family business over to you completely."

"Yes, Uncle. I'll remember that."

Will Taylor answered humbly, then stepped back again. He looked deeply at Lynn.

He did not know what exactly Lynn relied on, nor did he understand what help Fleet Taylor had mentioned.

Perhaps in his eyes, the Taylor family's massive industrial chain in South Wales and their current booming momentum were all built step by step through the hard work of the family members themselves.

But the one who had truly helped the Taylor family transform, designed their commercial development strategy, and provided the network of contacts needed to make it all happen was the Lin family.

That had allowed them to complete their transformation, turning from a street gang into part of high society. Perhaps in another ten years, the family might even produce mayors and members of parliament.

"Did I miss something?"

Mo Yuan's voice came from the entrance of the hall.

Lynn turned and saw Mo Yuan walking in with one hand in his pocket, head held high.

Erin stared at Mo Yuan with teasing amusement in her eyes and said playfully, "You're eight minutes later than Lynn. Looks like you were pretty busy this morning."

Mo Yuan did not look embarrassed at all. He smiled and said, "I had to drive someone home first, then came here. What? Did I really miss something important?"

Lynn introduced Mo Yuan to Fleet Taylor. "My friend, Mo Yuan."

Fleet Taylor's expression turned dignified. He nodded at Mo Yuan, and Mo Yuan stood beside Lynn, slipping his other hand into his pocket as well.

At this moment, Lynn said solemnly to Fleet Taylor, "All right. No matter what happened earlier, we can talk business now. What does your old friend want?"

After a moment of silence, Fleet Taylor looked directly at Lynn with a serious gaze and said, "I only found out about this today. You and the Swansea police set a trap and arrested a man named Martin Nally, along with the thirteen men he brought with him. They came from London and serve a family led by Joey Pyle. Lynn, do you know the Pyle family?"

Lynn shook his head calmly. "Not the same world. Naturally, there's no overlap."

Fleet Taylor patiently introduced the Pyle family, which had risen from London.

Half a century ago, London's underworld had two legendary figures. One was Joey Pyle, the boss of South London. The other was the Kray brothers, who rose from East London.

In many people's minds, London was a city of elites. But in reality, London was also a gathering place for the working class and foreign immigrants, and it produced gangsters all the same.

Joey Pyle and the Kray brothers were both born in 1933. They started fighting illegal boxing matches in their teens, building their reputations through violence and fearlessness. By the 1950s and 1960s, they had reached the height of their power, expanding their influence into the wealthy district of West London.

They opened nightclubs, befriended members of parliament, politicians, and celebrities, and built enormous networks of connections.

Protected by politicians and backed by ruthless methods, Pyle and the Kray brothers dominated London's underworld for a time. Their names were once taboo among London gangsters. When people mentioned them, they would use "you-know-who" instead.

This was extremely similar to how wizards in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter referred to Voldemort as "You-Know-Who."

In fact, Rowling's portrayal of Voldemort had been inspired by the real-life fear surrounding the Kray brothers and Pyle.

During their peak, they could even have celebrities perform exclusively for them, while the celebrities themselves remained completely unaware of the real nature of their audience.

It was not until 1968, when the Kray brothers were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment, that their era came to an abrupt end. From then on, London's native underworld almost became the Pyle family's domain.

Even though Joey Pyle spent several years in prison during the 1990s, those years of silence did not diminish his influence. After decades of struggle, the Pyle family had already taken shape. It was not the kind of organization that would scatter simply because its boss went to prison.

Today, London's underworld had Russians, Albanians, Kosovars, and Turks. On the surface, London's underworld seemed to have no major gang or widely respected leader anymore. But among British native gangs, the Pyle family's influence was enough to intimidate everyone.

It was only that, under the modern social environment, people were more willing to coexist peacefully and run their inherited "businesses" separately. No one wanted to unify the underworld. Doing that would only land them in prison.

"Last April, I went to Chingford in East London to attend the funeral of another brother of the Krays. Gangs gathered there, and at the funeral, I spoke with Joey Pyle. I felt he was already failing, but he was still respected and feared by many people.

"He has a son, but that son is only just over twenty. His earlier sons and daughters all died in revenge attacks during gang conflicts. So old Joey took in three adopted sons named Warren, Alan, and Mickey, who serve as his right and left hands, making sure the family can still operate properly after his death."

After listening to Fleet Taylor, Lynn sank into thought.

In truth, the way various underworld families operated was more or less the same. If the Taylor family had not transformed, Will Taylor should now have many violent, ruthless figures by his side to assist him.

But the times had changed. After the Taylor family's transformation, they did everything possible to present Will Taylor to the public with a positive image. He was an executive in a listed company, the heir-in-training to the family business, not some underworld prince who needed a crowd of tattooed thugs around him wherever he went.

Lynn said lightly, "So that's what happened. Martin Nally is a pawn of the Pyle family. Aside from their inherited businesses, the Pyle family is now also involved in the betting industry. We refused to be bought off and worked with the police to set them up. Will that bring retaliation from the Pyle family?"

Fleet Taylor nodded. "Very possibly. After all, I heard they lost more than 1.5 million pounds this time. That isn't a small amount."

Lynn shrugged. "Everything carries risk, whether it's investment or shady business. Where in the world is there a guaranteed profit with no chance of loss?"

"If everyone thought like you, the world wouldn't need police."

"All right, so what now? Do I need to keep asking the police for help, or should I privately give them 1.5 million pounds to settle this?"

Fleet Taylor shook his head. "I'm only a neutral guarantor. I'll arrange a negotiation between you. The premise is that both sides will be safe during the negotiation. As for the result, and what happens afterward, that's another matter."

Lynn thought for a moment and said, "Fine. That proposal isn't bad. I like negotiations. When?"

Before Fleet Taylor could answer, the roar of sports cars came from outside.

He smiled. "It should be now. They're here."

Outside 411 Nightclub, three Lamborghinis stopped at the entrance. Two Land Rovers arrived behind them.

Three young men got out of the Lamborghinis. They were precisely old Joey's three adopted sons from the Pyle family.

Eight burly men got out of the two Land Rovers. They were probably acting as enforcers.

The group of eleven walked straight into 411 Nightclub.

Everyone from the Taylor family stood up and watched the eleven people approach.

Lynn also rose and studied the three men.

Fleet Taylor exchanged greetings with them. These three young men were not arrogant or overbearing. Instead, they showed great respect toward Fleet Taylor. After all, he was the local boss of Swansea. Since they had come to Taylor territory, proper etiquette could not be ignored.

Warren was a fierce-looking young man wearing a vest. Every patch of exposed skin on his upper body was covered in tattoos. He looked like a typical underworld figure.

Alan was formally dressed, wearing a black shirt and trousers. He also had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and neat side-parted hair. When he spoke with Fleet Taylor, his manner was cultured.

Mickey did not like to speak. There was nothing especially distinctive about him. He looked extremely ordinary.

After Fleet Taylor finished speaking with the three adopted sons of the Pyle family, he introduced Lynn to them.

"This is Lynn, the owner of Swansea. If there has been any misunderstanding between you, I hope it can be resolved today."

"Misunderstanding? There's no misunderstanding. If Swansea didn't want to cooperate, then they shouldn't have taken our money! They took the money, then set us up, costing us heavily. Now my people are still sitting in a police station. How should this debt be settled?"

The forceful Warren spoke in a harsh tone, his sharp gaze fixed on Lynn.

Lynn smiled at him. "How do you want to settle it?"

Warren snapped, "Get my people out, then compensate us three million pounds! Otherwise, we won't let this go!"

Lynn nodded solemnly, then turned to Mo Yuan and asked, "How much money do I have in my account?"

"More than fifty million pounds."

Mo Yuan smiled.

Many people present showed surprise.

They probably had not expected Lynn to personally have that much money, though perhaps he was just bluffing.

Lynn continued asking, "How much does it cost to hire mercenaries for a mission?"

"Six million U.S. dollars for a squad of fewer than ten people. Missions are calculated by weekly or hourly rates, including various other expenses. Roughly ten million U.S. dollars."

Mo Yuan was not making things up. They had truly looked into the market rate for mercenaries in Europe and America.

Because they had once considered traveling to some places with poor public security to broaden their horizons. But fearing for their personal safety, they had considered hiring mercenaries as protection. In the end, they had dropped the idea because the cost was simply astronomical.

When Lynn looked back at the three adopted sons of the Pyle family, he smiled and said, "Put up thirty million pounds. I want to see how many people the Pyle family has left in the end. If even one person is still alive, I won't pay a penny!"

Mo Yuan smiled too. "I'll make the call now."

"You want war?"

Warren questioned him sharply.

Lynn stepped forward and roared at him like a vicious beast.

"Are you fucking stupid? Your people came to my man with a filthy little deal, and you expected us to cooperate? What the hell do you think you are? Why should we cooperate with you? Why didn't you fuck off in the first place!

"You want me to compensate you? Did your brain get slammed in a door?

"Yes, you want trouble? Then we'll go to war!

"I'll put up thirty million pounds right now and entrust it to a middleman. If any of my family, friends, or colleagues gets hurt, as long as it has anything to do with the Pyle family, this war fund activates!

"You make one of my people bleed a single drop, and I'll make the Pyle family disappear from the face of the earth!

"Thirty million isn't enough? I can put up another fifty million! A hundred million! What era do you think this is? This is the era where money is power!"

Lynn's beast-like roar left Warren stunned.

Erin sat on the sofa, chin propped in her hand, leisurely admiring Lynn's profile.

This was exactly the kind of personality she liked in Lynn.

If he was wrong, he would admit it. Just like the first time they met, when the bastard admitted that he had used his drunkenness as an excuse to grope her butt. He had also put on an attitude of accepting any punishment coming his way.

But if he had done nothing wrong and someone wanted to violate his interests?

Sorry.

He would fight them to the end.

Alan walked between Warren and Lynn and signaled for Warren to step back first.

Alan said to Lynn, "Let's calm down first."

Lynn sat back in the chair, crossed one leg over the other, and said lightly, "I'm very calm. I'll tell you how this matter is going to be handled.

"First, I don't care about your people. Whether you can get them out of the police station depends on your own ability.

"Second, I won't compensate you one penny.

"From now on, don't even think about targeting Swansea. You want us to throw matches so you can profit? Sorry, I won't tolerate it.

"My club will be worth more than a hundred million pounds in the future. I won't tolerate anyone trying to stain my club's name, because that indirectly damages my interests!

"So listen carefully.

"We didn't know each other before, and from now on, we'll each walk our own road!"